Teens Accused in Plot to Lure Men in on Tinder and Then Rob Them at Gunpoint

Wire Service
By Wire Service
May 12, 2019US News
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Teens Accused in Plot to Lure Men in on Tinder and Then Rob Them at Gunpoint
The dating app Tinder is seen on the screen of an iPhone in Miami, Fla,. on Aug. 14, 2018. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Five teens have been arrested for a string of armed robberies against men who believed they were meeting up with a woman they had met on Tinder, police said.

Bryan Gonzalez, 19; Jonathan Jimenez, 18; Lesly Portillo, 18; Yarida Villareal, 19; and an unidentified 15-year-old male were arrested separately in San Jose, California. Police say they were booked on multiple charges, including robbery, carjacking, auto theft and hit-and-run.

The group created fake profiles on the Tinder dating app under the names Becky or Victoria, police said in a news release. They would communicate with men on the app and convince them to meet up. At least 11 men were targeted by the teenagers.

“The times and locations were usually in the late evening hours on secluded streets near a park,” the release said.

Instead of Becky or Victoria, police said, several masked suspects would meet the victims and beat them, rob them, and carjack them at gunpoint.

The adult suspects are being held in Santa Clara County Jail and the minor was booked into Santa Clara County Juvenile Hall.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Amanda Estantino of the San Jose Police Department’s Robbery Unit at 408-277-4166.

Tinder’s safety guidelines encourage users to take precautions when meeting people offline.

dating app Tinder
The icon for the dating app Tinder is seen on the screen of an iPhone in Miami, Fla., on Aug. 14, 2018. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

“Bad actors often push people to communicate off the platform immediately,” the company said. “Meet for the first time in a populated, public place—never in a private or remote location, and never at your home or apartment. If your date pressures you, end the date and leave at once.”

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